Weller's eleventh studio album, Sonik Kicks, was released on 19 March 2012. The Green Songfacts reports that it was recorded in Weller’s own Black Barn Studios in Ripley, Surrey, with co-producer Simon Dine and engineer Charles Rees.
Born John William Weller in Stanley Road, Woking, he was also a central figure in the Mod revival. As the leader of the Jam, Paul Weller fronted the most popular British band of the punk era, influencing legions of English rockers that ranged from his mod-revival contemporaries to the Smiths in the '80s and Oasis in the '90s. During the final days of the Jam, he developed a fascination with Motown and soul, which led him to form the sophisti-pop group the Style Council in 1983. As the Style Council's career progressed, Weller's interest in soul developed into an infatuation with jazz-pop and house music, which eventually led to gradual erosion of his audience — by 1990, he couldn't get a record contract in the UK, where he had previously been worshipped as a demi-god. As a solo artist, Weller returned to soul music as an inspiration, cutting it with the progressive, hippie tendencies of Traffic. Weller's solo records were more organic and rootsier than the Style Council, which helped him regain his popularity within Britain. By the mid-'90s, he had released three successful albums which were both critically-acclaimed and massively popular in England, where contemporary bands like Ocean Colour Scene were citing him as an influence. Just as importantly, many observers, while occasionally criticizing the trad-rock nature of his music, acknowledged that Weller was one of the few rock veterans that had managed to stay vital within the second decade of his career.
Waiting on an Angel
Paul Weller Lyrics
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One to carry me home
Hope you come to see me soon
Cause I don't want to go alone
I don' t want to go alone
Now angel won't you come by me
Angel hear my plea
So that I can fly with thee
So that I can fly with thee
And I'm waiting on an angel
And I know it won' t be long
To find myself a resting place
In my angel's arms
In my angel's arms
So speak kind to a stranger
Cause you'll never know
It just might be an angel come
Knockin' at your door
Knockin' at your door
And I'm waiting on an angel
And I know it won't be long
To find myself a resting place
In my angel's arms
In my angel's arms
Waiting on an angel
One to carry me home
Hope you come and see me soon
Cause I don' t want to go alone
I don't want to go alone
Don't want to go
I don't want to go alone
The lyrics to Paul Weller's "Waiting on an Angel" portrays a deep desire for salvation and the quest for divine intervention, to be taken to a place of peaceful rest in the arms of an angel. The song suggests death or the end of a journey is near and the writer needs an angel to guide him/her to the final resting place. Weller pleads for an angel to come swiftly and carry him/her to avoid facing the journey alone. The lyrics of the song suggest a hope in the supernatural, beyond human understanding and the search for eternal meaning.
The line "speak kind to a stranger, cause you'll never know, it just might be the angel come knockin' at your door" is a reminder of empathy and kindness, which could attract a divine intervention. It suggests that every person has the capacity to be an angel to someone else, and it is important to be courteous, caring and compassionate to others because we never know when we will be in need of an angel to come into our lives. The song ends on a touching plea for the angel to come and take the singer home. The song's lyrics express an emotional longing for a peaceful resolution to a difficult journey, and the hope that there is something more than this life, providing comfort to those struggling through life's challenges.
Line by Line Meaning
Waiting on an angel
I am waiting for divine intervention
One to carry me home
An angel will lead me to the afterlife
Hope you come to see me soon
I hope to see the angel soon before I pass away
Cause I don't want to go alone
I don't want to die alone without seeing the angel
I don' t want to go alone
Reiterating that I don't want to die alone
Now angel won't you come by me
Requesting the angel to come close
Angel hear my plea
Requesting the angel to listen to my plea
Take my hand lift me up
Asking the angel to hold and guide me
So that I can fly with thee
So that I can be transported to the afterlife with the angel
And I'm waiting on an angel
Reiterating that I am waiting for divine intervention
And I know it won' t be long
I believe that the angel will come soon
To find myself a resting place
The angel will guide me to a peaceful resting place
In my angel's arms
The resting place will be in the embrace of the angel
So speak kind to a stranger
Urging others to be kind to strangers
Cause you'll never know
You never know who may be an angel in disguise
It just might be an angel come
Suggesting that a stranger could be an angel
Knockin' at your door
An angel could appear unexpectedly
Waiting on an angel
Reiterating that I am waiting for divine intervention
And I know it won't be long
Reiterating my belief that the angel will come soon
To find myself a resting place
Reiterating that the angel will guide me to a peaceful resting place
In my angel's arms
Reiterating that the resting place will be in the embrace of the angel
Waiting on an angel
Reiterating that I am waiting for divine intervention
One to carry me home
Reiterating that the angel will lead me to the afterlife
Hope you come and see me soon
Reiterating my hope to see the angel before I die
Cause I don' t want to go alone
Reiterating that I don't want to die alone without seeing the angel
I don't want to go alone
Final reiteration that I don't want to die alone
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Benjamin Harper
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind